1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of novelty items and particularly relates to novelty balloons. More particularly, the invention relates to holders for novelty balloons.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
It is known to use balloons as novelty and gift items. In particular, plastic balloons are popular because they stay inflated for long periods of time. These balloons are typically made of thin plastic sheets which are printed with colors and indicia and are welded and die cut to form hollow bodies. The hollow bodies are formed with an extending tube, called a stem, which is used to inflate the balloons with a gas, such as air or helium.
In use, the balloons may be combined with other gifts, for example, with flowers, candy or the like to form an attractive decorative arrangement. When used in such combinations, the balloons are often attached to a stalk, such as a plastic rod, tube or straw, to allow the balloon to fit into the arrangement. The balloon is attached to the stalk by a conical or funnel shaped cup which has a receiver for the stalk. A conventional cup also has holes and slots through its wall which cooperate with the balloon stem for attaching the cup to the balloon.
With a conventional cup, the inflated balloon is mounted to the cup by threading the balloon stem into the cup and out through one of the holes in the cup wall. The balloon stem is then wrapped around the base of the cup and secured by passing the stem over itself and into a slot or slots in the cup wall. With a conventional cup this attachment may permit the balloon stem to slip in the funnel shaped cup and the attachment may not be reliable. In addition, the gas in the balloon stem may bulge against the base of the balloon, causing it to tilt in the funnel shaped cup, which is aesthetically undesirable.
The attachment of a balloon to a conventional cup takes time to achieve. This is significant, since the workers who prepare the balloons and the arrangements of balloons are often paid on a piece work basis. Any savings in time of preparing a balloon, even though small, has a substantial impact on the overall earnings of the worker and improves the economies of the employer.
The following U.S. Patents are incorporated by reference herein: D 359,229, 2,664,667, 2,840,948, 3,267,604, 4,589,854, 4,661,081, 4,879,823, 5,021,022, 5,395,276, 5,588,897 and 5,944,576.
In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an attaching cup for novelty balloons that can be rapidly attached to a balloon and that can firmly hold a balloon to the attaching cup. It is another object to provide an attaching cup for novelty balloons that can hold a balloon to the cup without tilting the balloon. It is also an object to provide an attaching cup for novelty balloons that does not require threading the end of the balloon stem of a balloon through a hole in the cup wall. An additional object is to provide an attaching cup for novelty balloons that has a narrow slit for receiving the balloon stem of a balloon and which has a rectangular transverse relieved portion at the inner extremity of the slit for holding the balloon stem. Other objects and features of the invention will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.
In accordance with the invention, a funnel-shaped balloon cup provides a secure attachment between the balloon and the cup by using an elongated t-shaped slit or slits in the wall of the cup. An edge of the balloon stem is slipped into a leg of the slit with a downward motion, eliminating the time required to thread the stem of the balloon through a hole in the cup wall. The leg of the slit is open at the edge of the cup and shaped to guide the balloon stem into the slit, but is narrow near the inner portion to firmly hold the balloon stem.
At the inner extremity of the slit a narrow rectangular transverse relieved portion extends across the slit at a right angle. The relieved portion forms a crossarm of the t-shaped slit and permits the balloon stem to be tightly wrapped around the cup exterior and into the interior of the cup without a bulge caused by air trapped in the balloon stem. As a result, the balloon remains in a pleasing vertical relationship to the cup.
The invention summarized above comprises the constructions hereinafter described, the scope of the invention being indicated by the subjoined claims.